Green Building Products - Our Goal: Zero Waste

It's sure in vogue right now. Good thing, too. We're proud to say we were at least tinted with the hue when we started this business. We had serious meetings on Zero Waste and now we're closing in on it. It takes a whole lot more than curly light bulbs to attain true green-ness. Every facet of our operation is aimed at environmental beneficence, from how we find our product to how we mill it and ship it. Anyway, we're good enough at it to earn the Forest Stewardship Council® designation and that ain't easy. It means low ecological impact all the way from the source to the finished building.

Green is Good

The world is beginning to come around to the fact that green is good. Like using beautiful reclaimed timber instead of chopping down a tree just because it got big enough. The wood lives on and on. Architects and craftsmen born in the late 20th century make marvelous things out of timber that warehoused feed and coffee beans and dry goods in the 19th century. The wood talks to them. And you can tell they listen.

Environmentally Green Practices
Elmwood Reclaimed Timber is dedicated to responsible business practices and procedures that minimize our impact on the environment. We hold a strong commitment to operating a business that is based on the principles of sustainability.

Environmentally Green Products
Elmwood Reclaimed Timber guarantees that all of our antique wood and stone products are 100% reclaimed from old buildings, barns, rural structures and sustainable sources of reclaimed materials. Did we mention that all our antique wood products are all FSC® certified by the Rainforest Alliance? Well, they are, and that means you can be assured of their authenticity.

L.E.E.D

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a nationally recognized certification process that encourages the adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. The program is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

All of Elmwood Reclaimed Timbers Antique Products can help a project earn up to 5 LEED credit points. Which credits, specifically, depends on the product and the project. All of our Antique Flooring, Antique Cabinet Lumber, Antique Countertops, Antique Box Beams, and Antique Beams are eligible for MR 4.1 and MR 4.2 (Recycled Content) points, MR 7 (Certified Wood) points and if within 500 miles of Kansas City, MO, MR 5.1 and MR 5.2 (Regional Materials) points. Elmwood Reclaimed Timber is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which developed the LEED program. There are many ways to measure the green qualities in buildings. The USGBC’s LEED rating system is one of the best.

LEED-certified buildings receive third-party validation as well as a LEED certification plaque and marketing exposure through the USGBC website. LEED-certified buildings can also qualify for a growing number of local government and state incentives including tax rebates and zoning allowances. Learn more about LEED certification.

FSC Certified!

Are we green yet? Turns out we always were. But now it's official. Our entire antique line is Forest Stewardship Council® certified by the Rainforest Alliance. We didn't have to strain to meet the conditions for it. As it turns out, we were doing things the right way from the beginning. That means low ecological impact all the way from the source to the finished building just as we and the FSC® intended.

Some of the benefits of FSC®
All of our Antique Reclaimed Wood products are certified as FSC® Recycled by the Rainforest Alliance. FSC® is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests.